text: On Nov 16, 2012, at 9:50 AM, Thor Lancelot Simon wrote: > On Fri, Nov 16, 2012 at 11:31:20AM -0600, Eric Haszlakiewicz wrote: >> On Thu, Nov 15, 2012 at 07:39:03PM -0500, Thor Lancelot Simon wrote: >>> On Thu, Nov 15, 2012 at 05:18:04PM -0600, Eric Haszlakiewicz wrote: >>>> >>>> Well setuid executables seem like a special case, but other than that, I >>>> think I can probably manage to execute something without an exec call. >>>> In fact I know I can, just by linking against any dynamic library and >>>> calling one of the functions in it. >>> >>> You can't load a dynamic library that's on a filesystem mounted noexec. >> >> er... so the dynamic linker looks like it tries to mmap the file with execute >> permissions, and that fails, but what's to prevent me from just reading the >> file into memory and jumping to that address? I feel like I'm missing >> something here... > > If it's not mapped MAP_EXEC, you can't jump there. If you can, you either > have a hardware limitation that makes W^X impossible, or you have a pmap > bug. Assuming the MMU h/w supports the concept of exec pages. Only recently have some ARM, MIPS, and PowerPC chips added "no-execute" support.


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Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) and based on the iconic novel by Jack Kerouac, On the Road tells the provocative story of Sal Paradise (Sam Riley), a young writer whose life is shaken and ultimately redefined by the arrival of the free-spirited and fearless Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund) and his girl, Marylou (Kristen Stewart). As they travel across the country on a personal quest for freedom from the conformity and conservatism that engulfed many during that time, the duo encounter a mix of eclectic individuals who forever change them. The film also stars Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Dunst, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Elisabeth Moss and Alice Braga. Click here for all our previous coverage.
At the film's press day, co-stars Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart talked about why they were so passionate about this project, how challenging it was to stay attached over the years, how they broke the nudity in the film to their parents, the ideals of the time period that they can most relate to, their favorite locations on the shoot, what the younger fans of Twilight might think of this film, and what can make a great road trip. Check out what they had to say after the jump.
Question: Because you fiercely held onto this project, since before even Twilight, what is it that spoke to you about Marylou, that made you still want to be a part of this, after all this time?
KRISTEN STEWART: I really had to dig pretty deep to find it in me to actually play a person like this. It took a long time. Initially, I couldn't say no. I would have done anything on the movie. I would have followed in a caravan, had I not gotten a job on it. But, I was 16 or 17 when I spoke to Walter [Salles], for the first time. I was 14 or 15 when I read the book, for the first time. It was easy to connect the dots, after having gotten to know the person behind the character, to see what I would need to pull off a lifestyle like that, but that didn't happen until deep into the rehearsal process. At first, I was just attracted to the spirit of it. I'm the type of person that really needs to be pushed really hard to be able to really let it all hang, and I think Marylou is the type of person that you can't help but be yourself around because she's so unabashedly present, all the time, like this bottomless pit of really generous empathy. That's a really rare quality to have. It makes you capable of living a really full, really rich life without it taking something from you. You couldn't take from her. She was always getting something back. She was amazing.
GARRETT HEDLUND: Being in the presence of someone so non-judgmental, gives you the freedom to shed inhibitions and fears, and be more honest with yourself and with somebody that's more like that than you've ever been.
As much as you wanted to do it, how hard was it for you guys to stay attached to this, as time went by? How did that life seasoning, during that time, help inform things for you?
HEDLUND: Well, it wasn't hard to stay attached, at all. This was, for me, something that I so eagerly wanted to do. When Walter [Salles] cast me in this, I was so unbelievably proud to be a part it. I was such a fan of the book and, from eight years after reading the book to now, to be on set was insane. But, from the time I was cast, I had this faith that it would get made, and this fear that it would. Everybody grew a bit too old. That was one of my fears with it because, with this part of the book, Dean is 21 and Sal is 24. We started filming it when I was 25. I turned 26 on it. Now, I'm 28. When I first read with Walter on it, I was 22 years old. Now, looking back with four years in between, with that life experience and life seasoning, you gain much more knowledge and wisdom of the world, the ways things work, the people and how to get what you want, and to know America a little bit more. Obviously, doing drives across the country enhanced the wisdom behind the wheel, of all these remote locations, being broken down and not having a penny to your name. It helped me to be comfortable with those scenes.
Because getting comfortable with the intensity of some of the physical scenes between the two of you, just so that you could do those scenes yourself, were there teams of managers and agents debating whether you should do it or not?
STEWART: No.
HEDLUND: No. The torture for them wasn't having to accept the fact that your ass would be out for anybody to see, but with the internet, it will never go away. But, it wasn't really that. It was the fact that for two or three years, I was saying no to everything that came across the table, and they were just like, "All right, you go off and do that film. I hope Mr. Salles is happy. Where have you been for the last three fucking years?" That was the only thing. Agents and managers despise passion projects sometimes.
Did you talk to you parents about the nudity in this film, before they saw it?
HEDLUND: My mom and sister watched it next to me.
STEWART: Yeah, that was really an interesting experience.
HEDLUND: There were a lot of laughs. I don't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I don't know if the laughs were out of nervousness or because the actual text was really that humorous.
STEWART: For me, I think everyone was really happy that it took a few years for the movie to get made. My mom came to Cannes. She loved it. She was really proud. I haven't talked to my dad about it yet, really. I think Welcome to the Rileys was probably more difficult for a parent to watch. I was so sensitive about everything, after that film. That character really found its way under my skin. I was so overly sensitive about not just anything overtly sexual, but anything about a young girl. It rocked me, and I think my parents could probably feel that, as well. It was not something that we talked about. It's funny to talk about from an outsider's prospective. It's like, "It must be weird to sit down and watch your ass with your mom," but it's so weird, being on the inside of it. I don't want to say that it's like I'm watching another person because what I love about my job is that you can read stuff and find aspects of life that you relate to, that you didn't quite know you had in you, and that can shock the shit out of you. The process of making a movie is finding out why you responded, in that way. I don't feel like you're ever playing a different person, but because it's not your typical go-to, it's more like you're taking care of another person. You have such a responsibility to that person. It's easy to be mature about it. It's easy to place it in a context and feel protective of it.
HEDLUND: I think the only thing harder for a parent is having to sit down and watch you do a dying scene. I've died in three films, and my mom begs me, "Just tell me you don't die at the end." To get her to go watch I Am Sam, I told her it was a comedy. She came back with her best friend and pockets full of Kleenex and said, "You son of a bitch!"
How old do you think a younger Twilight fan should be, before they see On the Road?
HEDLUND: I think the rating limits that a little bit.
STEWART: I think the actual law is that, if you are with a parent, you can go and see an R-rated movie, if you're over the age of 13. I guess it depends on who your parents are and who you are. I read On the Road when I was 14, so I don't know. My parents never wanted to shelter me from the world that we live in, so I'm probably not the right person to ask. I think, if you have a desire to see it and your parents don't want you to see it, then take that bull by the horns.
Are conversations with people who are passionate fans of this book radically different from the passionate fans of the Twilight franchise?
STEWART: I don't get to have very many involved conversations with Twilight fans. It's really rare. Sometimes the girls that run the fan sites will come in and do an interview, and I absolutely love doing that. But, I find that a lot of people I talk to, and most journalists that I sit down with, are huge On the Road fans. I feel that they're even assigned to those stories because they have an interest in it. I've gotten to talk to a lot of passionate On the Road fans. The difference is that there's a lot to feel in Twilight, and that's usually my experience, having individual exchanges with those fans. You just feel it. But with On the Road, there's a lot to talk about.
Which beatnik ideals could you personally relate to?
HEDLUND: Within that time, there was such a sense and yearning for freedom. These guys were trying to explore all aspects in life, when few others were. So many had these concrete boundaries set up, and they had this yearning for adventure. Especially for me, growing up in such a small town in the middle of nowhere, the desire to be away was incredible. I wanted to see new lands, meet new people from the city, and meet people that were in much less fortunate situations than I was, so that I could be more appreciative of my present. At least I had food on the table. It was just the yearning to live and be on your own, and to journey and get away. These guys were able to do that by the expansion of free love and drugs. They expanded not only psychologically and spiritually, but also geographically.
Jack Kerouac's text is a love letter to Dean Moriarty. Was that what you got when you read the book, for the first time?
HEDLUND: Well, this book is very similar to a lot of the letters that they exchanged with each other, from Neal [Cassady] to Jack [Kerouac], and from Neal [Cassady] to [Allen] Ginsberg. The brotherly love was there. The love between Ginsberg and Neal was there. There was honesty through expression of absolutely everything that was going on around them, mentally and physically, from where they were coming from to where they were going. They had such an eagerness to express everything, from the deepest parts of their souls, to each other. That's what I think everybody was attracted to. It was a feeling of being more honest than you've ever been and more free. You have to shed inhibitions and fears, to approach life that way. That's what I was really attracted to within this. Dealing with such a wonderful era – the late '40s and '50s – was something I romanticized the most. Peter O'Toole said once that his idea of heaven was walking from one smoke-filled room to another, and that's what this time period always seemed like. There are all these black and white photos of people sweating their asses off, in these incredible outfits. All the men wore suits and hats, and all the women wore these fantastic dresses, and they were dancing without a care in the world, or so it seemed. We think that, if we see a photo in black and white, it can't possibly exist today because everything os in color, but did they see it that way?
STEWART: When you can literally Google anything, you don't feel like you have to go see it in person. You can do a lot of traveling in your bedroom, but you're not touching anything and you're not feeling it.
You guys had the opportunity to travel to a lot of remote and interesting areas for this film. Which location was your favorite?
HEDLUND: I don't know. They were all kind of unique. Mexico was amazing. Because we were on such a move, right off the bat, in late summer and fall, Montreal was really beautiful with all of the cobblestones and everything. And then, we got to catch the snow, in the winter of Chile, and then book it down to Argentina and head over to Patagonia and up into No Man's Land. We got to drive the Hudson through blizzards, in the mountains of Chile, for just three days while we were staying at this bed and breakfast on a lake that always had fog over it.
STEWART: It's crazy to hear that it was just two or three days because, in my head, it was a huge chunk of time.
HEDLUND: And then, New Orleans was incredible, as well. We went out to the Bayou, and that was special.
STEWART: Just being in the city there was amazing.
HEDLUND: And the deserts of Arizona and Mexico were all so great. Those scenes led to even more excitement. Some of the deserted landscapes that Sam and I got to experience in Mexico were just so unique. Just to be in the deserted streets of Tehuacán, Mexico, where all the buildings were made of clay and straw, it was beautiful to see those parts of the world.
Kristen, how did you find a way to relate to Marylou and her lifestyle, at that time?
STEWART: I think Luanne [Henderson] was ahead of her time. Generally, peoples' expectations for their lives, in a personal way, are not a whole lot different. It's a really fundamental thing to want to be a part of a group. We are pack animals. In a way, she had very conventional ideals, as well. She had this capacity to live many lives, that didn't necessarily mess with the other. She was not above emotion. She was above jealousy, but not above feeling hurt. Maybe if this movie was made back in the day, as opposed to now, people would be so shocked and awed by the sex and the drugs that they would actually miss what the movie's about. Now, we've just seen a little bit more of it, so it's not so shocking to stomach. It's easier to take. Sure, times have changed, but people don't change. That's why the book has never been irrelevant. There will always be people that want to push a little bit harder, and there are repercussions. It's evident in the story, as well. Even in that little glimpse, at that moment in time, knowing what happens to all the characters afterwards is interesting. She knew Neal to the end of his life, and they always shared what they had. It never left their hearts, even though their lives changed, monumentally.
What do you love about a good road trip, and what can potentially derail a road trip?
HEDLUND: Well, what I love about them is that, if you don't have a time frame or a destination, what could derail it is a passenger that does. For this film, Walter [Salles] and I got to take the 49 Hudson from New York all the way to Los Angeles. The greatest thing about that was that we didn't have a time when we had to get home. We knew that any footage we got out of the wonderful landscapes of all of America were only going to help us with the film or help us as people, to find strength within ourselves to experience this and to be on this journey. We broke down over nine times across the country, in different locations, and met some of the most wonderful mechanics across the States. It was one of the greatest adventures because none of us cared when we got home, and that's really so rare to find, even when we broke down in the middle of nowhere New Mexico, on a blacktop divide in a hay field in a cow pasture. It took a mechanic two hours to get to us, and he had to close down his shop, so we just sat on the highway and pulled out our sandwiches and turned the music up.
Now that the Twilight franchise has ended, what advice would you give to other young actors who might be starting a major movie franchise?
STEWART: You better love it, or don't do it. To be on one project for five years, I had the exact same feeling at the end that I had when I first started the project. The only difference is that now, at this point, I have that weight lifted and I want it back. I don't have to worry about Bella anymore, which is so weird. She's not like tapping me on the shoulder anymore.
On the Road opens in limited release on December 21st.

subset: commoncrawl


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Narellan Chicklit F MAN
Although I have always loved great fiction, I had never been really sure what 'Chicklit' actually referred to. Way back when Narellan Fiction was organised via genre, I decided that reading a title from this section needed to be on my 'to do' list.
Needless to say, years have gone by, but now I'd like to share one of my recent finds.
I had the rare occasion of a weekend away while the juniors of my family attended a triathlon and I took along a good read for the Saturday night.
The cover page of this title called to me from the display shelves - yes I did judge this book by its cover and the thought of a casual stroll along the shore, thongs in hand really appealed.
In Manby's title, a great holiday, planned for months, was on the agenda for Sophie and partner, Callum, who also happens to be her work colleague. Imagine the despair when Sophie finds out, the night before the trip to the airport, that Callum is actually not that into her and will not be going on the trip!!! What unfolds includes many hilarious moments as Sophie attempts to hide in her bedroom for the duration of the trip - the embarrassment of being left to go alone on the trip was just too much.
What I discovered is that chicklit is literature written mainly by women for women. Many titles include storylines based on work, children, motherhood, friendship, dating, dieting and all sorts of life challenges. The role of humour in chicklit was evident in "What I did on my holidays". Many titles are written from a first person viewpoint, making them very realistic. Although a fun read, Manby's title touched on thought provoking, emotional issues making it a fun but also touching read.
Recommended for a quiet moment when you just want to relax and enjoy a light read.


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Chain reaction: What's wrong (and right) about these stores
Walking along the Downtown Mall– to and from work during the week or with my dog during the weekend– is one of my favorite parts of the day. Recently, during those walks, I have been struggling with my feelings about a looming change in the Mall's landscape.
As recently confirmed by company statements and the appearance of a banner announcing the store's imminent arrival, Urban Outfitters is opening a store in the space formerly occupied by The Hardware Store restaurant. Urban Outfitters is a retail clothing chain based in Philadelphia with 140 outlets across the country and annual revenue of approximately $1.5 billion.
Except for CVS (and, depending on one's definition of "chain," regionally-based Five Guys burgers and high-end paper store Caspari), there are currently no chain stores or restaurants on the Mall, and there have only been a handful there since Main Street was bricked-over in 1976.
My sense is that the new Urban Outfitters may be a harbinger of a changing-of-the-guard in the Mall's merchant landscape and a precursor to the arrival of additional chains. Think Starbucks, Banana Republic, Borders, and Crate and Barrel.
To sort out my conflicting feelings about chain stores, I developed the following checklist to evaluate the pluses and minuses of chains on the Mall:
The impact on employees and consumers
Opponents argue that the employees of stores like Urban Outfitters and Starbucks make less, on average, than the employees of local retailers in the same line of business. According to some studies, within several years after chain stores arrive in a community, wages and benefits of workers in non-chain businesses decline, as local businesses are compelled to cut back on employee expenses to remain competitive. Chain store supporters argue that the evidence on wages and benefits is inconclusive and that, in any event, chains' lower wages are outweighed by the immense benefits that they offer to consumers– in particular, the chains' ability to offer high-quality goods at reasonable prices. Put differently, chain stores became chain stores precisely because they developed business models that satisfy consumer demand in a way that local businesses do not.
My verdict: PRO-CHAIN.
The impact on locally-owned businesses
A frequent criticism is that chain stores undercut local competition and dry up home-grown business. In particular, chains' ability to offer (1) a wider range of products and (2) lower prices (because they can buy stock in bulk) mean that consumers will frequently abandon local businesses over price and convenience. Barnes and Noble and Borders, for instance, can offer both a wider range of books and lower prices than many independent bookstores. However, a number of studies demonstrate that the arrival of a chain store in a community, or in a particular shopping area like the Downtown Mall, actually benefits the surrounding businesses by increasing the overall amount of customer traffic. Even local stores in direct competition can benefit from the opening of a nearby chain; for instance, some independent clothing boutiques have reported, after the fact, that the opening of a Gap or Banana Republic has positively impacted their sales.
My verdict: TIE (and I defer to the retail business owners on the Mall).
The impact on the community-at-large
Opponents of chain stores argue that the profits they generate do not remain in the local community, since their headquarters are located elsewhere and, in the case of publicly-owned chains, because their profits are distributed to shareholders. According to one study, only 14 cents per dollar spent at chain stores remain in the local economy, whereas local retailers spend more than half their revenue locally. Locally-owned stores rely on other local businesses (contractors, architects, banks, accountants, media, etc.), whereas chains tend to use national firms or outside providers of these services. Supporters of chain stores counter this argument by pointing out that local governments benefit directly from chains in the form of increased sales tax and property tax revenue.
My verdict: ANTI-CHAIN.
The impact on the "look" of a community
Some architecture critics and planning experts have complained about the aesthetics of chain stores. Whereas local businesses might have quirky, unusual, and distinctive storefronts, each Banana Republic looks the same as the next, and the result is that communities dominated by chains become visually homogenous and– depending on one's taste– boring or even ugly. The flip side of this argument is that successful chains have developed appealing styles. Starbucks, for instance, has been praised for having created, in layout and décor, an ambience that appeals to a range of customers.
My verdict: ANTI-CHAIN.
Based on my checklist, then, I am against chain stores on the Mall by a tally of 2 to 1, with 1 tie. All things being equal, I hope that Urban Outfitters is not a precursor of additional chain stores. I enjoy, too much, the feeling when I walk along the Mall that this space is unique and that its uniqueness stems, in part, from local ownership of so many of shops and restaurants.
Where do you stand?
Walker Richmond is an attorney at Richmond & Fishburne. One of his favorite childhood memories is Saturday trips to the Downtown Mall for lunch at Timberlake's with his family.


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Saving Catholic Education
What various dioceses are doing to keep Catholic schools running.
Faced with ballooning deficits and shrinking enrollment, dioceses across the country are regionalizing Catholic schools in an attempt to ensure the long-term viability of Catholic education, officials said.
"It will be a way of life for us," said Timothy McNiff, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of New York, which is in the beginning phase of a three-year plan to shift control of elementary schools from parishes to regional boards mostly comprised of lay trustees.
In Philadelphia, archdiocesan officials plan to regionalize 22 schools in the next academic year, said Mary Rochford, schools superintendent.
"For now, unless something unexpected happens or divine intervention comes in, I think this will be the wave of the future," Rochford said.
The last two decades have seen dioceses from coast to coast close scores of Catholic schools, as social, cultural and demographic changes undermined the sustainability of traditional Catholic-school governance and funding models.
Brian Gray, a spokesman for the National Catholic Educational Association, said that trend is particularly pronounced in the Northeast, which has seen a population shift in recent years, with people moving to the South and the Southwest in search of jobs and lower living expenses.
"Demographics, the population shift and money are the big factors here," said Gray, adding that regionalization is happening in "lots of places," especially in the Midwest and Great Plains.
"New York is not the first place that we've been seeing this," Gray said. "It's happening in a lot of different places, in different ways. Other dioceses are looking at regionalization in the best ways that work for them. Every diocese has to decide how it will do it. It really has to be a local solution."
Last year, the Archdiocese of New York closed 32 schools, citing shrinking enrollment, which had plunged by more than 14,500 students since 2006, and a budget deficit that grew to $22 million.
McNiff said the closed schools were not "failing" and were some of the best academic-performing schools in the archdiocese, but their long-term sustainability was in doubt.
"Our financial model and our governance model needs to be addressed because it's antiquated," McNiff said. "We feel, not all but many, parish elementary schools need a different governance structure because it's too much for a parish, and particularly a pastor, to assume that responsibility."
"The demographics have changed significantly," McNiff added. "A lot of kids in the schools, their parents, are not parishioners. The economics have also changed. There isn't the income that people used to have. And when you look at our pastors, many of them are getting older and are having to run a parish by themselves. It's overwhelming."
"We can't do business as usual. It's just not working," said New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan in a videotaped address Nov. 11 to New York Catholics.
To adjust to the changing realities, the Archdiocese of New York is currently training lay volunteers who will sit on three regional trustee boards this September. The boards, which will be comprised of clergy and laity, will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Catholic elementary schools in their respective regions. The boards will set policies, including tuition rates, and will take the lead roles in marketing and fundraising. The archdiocese also plans to curtail its funding for elementary schools, which last year cost around $33 million. Instead, the archdiocese will create a $40-million endowment fund, partly funded through sales and rentals of assets.
The three-year regionalization plan will begin on a pilot basis with the trustee boards set up in three counties, including two boroughs of New York City. If the goals of cost savings and increased efficiency prove to be a reality, the archdiocese will expand the governance model to 10 regional boards by the 2013-2014 academic year.
About 40 parish-based schools have opted out of the regionalization plan.
Meanwhile, the regional boards, which will be established as nonprofit corporations, also represent the laity's growing role in Church affairs as they are asked to take on a more active role in school governance, officials said.
"It's a significant shift," McNiff said.
"The laity have been taking on an increasing role in Catholic education for years," said Gray of the National Catholic Educational Association.
Almost 97% of faculty and staff in Catholic schools across the country today are laypeople, according to the NCEA.
That represents a near-complete reversal from almost a century ago, when around 92% of teachers and staff in Catholic schools were priests and religious, Gray said.
In Philadelphia, the archdiocese is also trying to involve the business and wider Catholic communities in revitalizing Catholic education, said Rochford, the superintendent of schools.
"We want Catholic education. We want Catholic schools. But we just can't sustain every single school we have," said Rochford, who partly attributed a declining level of support from Philadelphia-area Catholics to the present crisis.
Statistics indicate that just about 25% of Catholics in the Philadelphia Archdiocese attend weekly Mass.
"We have to think differently about our schools," Rochford said.
In 2010, Cardinal Justin Rigali, the archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, appointed a Blue Ribbon Commission to study the sustainability of Catholic education, and the group determined that seven Delaware County parish grade schools should merge with other nearby schools to form seven regional schools.
However, Philadelphia-area parents opposed the closings, which led to a several-weeks-long appeals process that resulted in Philadelphia's new leader, Archbishop Charles Chaput, and the commission deciding to keep one school open and to classify another as an independent mission school.
Rochford said the appeals process allowed parents and school communities to present compelling data and information not considered by the Blue Ribbon Commission.
"It didn't wreck the plan. It woke everybody up," said Rochford, who added that the commission's recommendations may not have been as all-encompassing as previously thought.
The Philadelphia schools superintendent reported that the archdiocese will still be able to regionalize a "healthy number" of schools and suggested that it was a matter of stewardship to regionalize schools in areas where resources are wasted on unsustainable individual schools.
New York archdiocesan officials organized a series of town hall-style meetings to present their regionalization plan and also posted details and videos online.
"Everybody, to a person, has said the status quo cannot be the solution," McNiff said. "We have to change; we know that. Now that we have enough flesh on the bones of this plan, the vast majority of folks are saying, 'Yes, this is a little bold; it's sailing out into deep waters. But it's something we should get behind and support.'"
Brian Fraga writes from El Paso, Texas.
- Keywords:
- April 22-May 5, 2012


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Aggressive spending in recent years clogged the Orlando Magic payroll and hampered team executives' efforts to pair Dwight Howard with another star.
But what complicated things in the first place might provide the fastest path back to relevance.
Now that Howard is gone, sent Friday to the Los Angeles Lakers in a widely panned four-team trade, the Magic will attempt to copy the models used by the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Orlando executives will try to stockpile as much young, affordable talent as possible and develop that talent into stars.
There are two big problems with that strategy, however. It means the Magic will get worse before they get better. And even if they improve their odds in the draft lottery, they will require luck on top of skillful scouting, wise drafting and patient decision-making. That's why even Magic CEO Alex Martins acknowledges that bold moves in free agency might be necessary.
"We're not turning our back on free agency," Martins said. "We're just putting the emphasis on our draft that we feel should be the case."
The Magic could have enough salary-cap space to offer a maximum-level deal in free agency next summer, when Thunder shooting guard James Harden is scheduled to become a restricted free agent and Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith is slated to reach unrestricted free agency.
The 2014 free-agency period could pay more dividends for the Magic, who currently have committed just $29 million to salaries for the 2014-15 season.
Orlando then might afford two maximum-level salaries, and that summer's free-agent class could include the New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, who has an early termination option, and the Memphis Grizzlies' Rudy Gay. It also could include the Miami Heat's Big Three, who hypothetically could opt out of their deals at that time but seem perfectly happy now in South Florida.
New general manager Rob Hennigan started his front-office career with the Spurs and the Thunder, and it's assumed that he will build almost exclusively through the draft instead of through free agency.
He insisted that's not necessarily the case.
"I think that we're pliable and we've set ourselves up to look at both avenues," he said.
"That was something that was important to us. I don't think you can ever get too parochial and say, 'This is the model we need to subscribe to.' We have a lot of flexibility to build through the draft. We have flexibility to build through free agency. We have flexibility to build through trades."
The Thunder are lauded as the most skilled practitioners of building through the draft.
But the franchise benefited from enormous amounts of luck. It won the second pick in the lottery in 2007 and selected Kevin Durant. A year later, the team chose Russell Westbrook fourth overall. A year after that, it obtained Harden with the third overall pick.
Oklahoma City executives deserve credit for scouting Westbrook and Harden well and taking them earlier than projected. But the Thunder also were fortunate that the Heat took Michael Beasley and the Minnesota Timberwolves took O.J. Mayo instead of Westbrook. In 2009, the Grizzlies infamously picked Hasheem Thabeet second overall, one spot ahead of Harden.
Hennigan said the Magic will be patient and seek to make "incremental" gains.
But how long will the DeVos family's patience last, especially if the Magic don't receive some lottery luck as the losses accumulate?
firstname.lastname@example.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
- Orlando Magic
- Lifestyle and Leisure
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- James Harden
- Russell Westbrook
- San Antonio Spurs
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- Dwight Howard
- Atlanta Hawks
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Alex Martins
- O.J. Mayo
- Josh Smith
- Carmelo Anthony
- Kevin Durant
- Hasheem Thabeet
- Rudy Gay


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Dir/scr: John McKenzie. UK. 2013. 93mins
An lazy and old-fashioned simplistic British farce, 12 In A Box gets a – very brief – belated theatrical release in the UK, mainly in the back of the popularity of local comedienne Miranda Hart…despite the fact that she features ways down cast list and gets very little screen time.
The plot – such as it is – is very much Agatha Christie inspired.
Made in 2007, the film has the modest comedy moves to appeal to a home entertainment audience with very low expectations, but with its poor script, hand-fisted direction and so-so performances it is a film that will feature on most 'worst of' lists for year and unlikely to play anywhere else internationally.
The plot – such as it is – is very much Agatha Christie inspired. It places 12 people who were once at the same school in an opulent country house together, where they are played a videotaped message from their dying host who says each will received £1million if they all stay in the house (well, not leave the grounds at least) for the next 96 hours.
They are a mixed bag of clichéd characters – Katy Wix as Andrea is lusty; Belle Mary Hithersay is a bible-obsessed mouse and Glynn Steele's Adam is a serial stutterer etc – while Miranda Hart (who is something of a big star on UK television) stumbles into the story as the would-be wife of 'Little Barry (Kenneth Collard), who is upset that he won't leave the house to attend their wedding.
The 'comedy' complications include heart attacks, infidelity, marital problems, burglars and the police, and the film plods through its modest story (with the chaps spending most of their time in their boxer shorts for most of the time) towards an entirely predictable and uninvolving climax.
Production company/contact: Masses Entertainment, www.massesentertainment.com
Producers: Brian Mitchell, Bruce Windwood
Cinematography: Nicholas Wise
Editor: Lewis Albrow
Music: Mark Revell
Main cast: Katy Wix, Gareth Clarke, Brian Mitchell, Kenneth Collard, Belle Mary Hithersay, Lucy Chalkley, Miranda Hart, Glynne Steel


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The New Alexandrian Library, a project of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel which hopes to create an institution that will become "one of the cornerstones of a new magickal renaissance," has launched a new crowdfunding venture to help pay for the final phase of construction. Quote: "We are building a library focused on the mystical and esoteric teachings of all religions with an emphasis on Paganism in all its forms. We are also collecting artifacts, art, ritual objects, etc. for the museum component of the New Alexandrian Library. The first building is in progress and we need your help to finish construction […] We already have several important collections of books in storage including the entire library from the Theosophical Society of Washington, DC. Judy Harrow, of blessed memory, just left us her library as well." It's been a long journey, but this ambitious project is finally reaching the finish line on their first structure. You can read all of our coverage of NAL, here.
The special commemorative edition of Green Egg Magazine dedicated to the life and work of Morning Glory Zell, a Pagan elder and teacher who passed away this past May, is now available. Quote: "Contained herein is the official Green Egg Morning Glory Memorial issue. We are departing from our usual format in order to include all of the photographs, memories, biographies and videos that people have sent to us from all over the world to honor Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart. It was put together with much blood, sweat, and tears and was the most difficult issue we've ever done. Morning Glory was our good friend and she considered my husband Tom to be her best friend. We cried and mourned her passing a lot as we wrote our articles, poured through photos of her and had too many memories of her stirred up to write about here; indeed if we had included all of our memories, we would still be writing and would have run into literally hundreds of pages." A free PDF version is also available, here. Contributors include LaSara Firefox Allen, Selena Fox, Oberon Zell, and many more.
Ethan Doyle White continues his interview series at Albion Calling with Professor Ronald Hutton, author of "Pagan Britain," "The Triumph of the Moon," and other works. Here's Professor Hutton speaking about his future plans: "I have a big one on the go at present, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, of a comprehensive study of the concept of the witch, in a global, ancient and folkloric setting, to understand more fully the context of the early modern witch trials. This is of course inspired by the work of Continental historians and folklorists such as Carlo Ginzburg, Éva Pócs, Wolfgang Behringer and Gustav Henningsen, and as such is an approach which has been much less favoured by English-speaking counterparts. It will, however, inevitably have some differences from the work of these Continental colleagues, in making a more comprehensive survey of the evidence, emphasising regional differences much more heavily, and relying less on modern folklore collections to plug gaps in earlier evidence. I have six people on my team, the others consisting of a distinguished Classicist, Dr Genevieve Liveley, a medievalist, Dr Louise Wilson, and three research students, working respectively on Italy, male witches and the animal familiar. Together we should produce three books, mine being the largest and the broadest in its scope, and three doctoral theses with resulting spin-off publications, in three to four years."
Covenant of the Goddess (COG) national interfaith representatives Don Frew and Rachael Watcher have been posting updates from the United Religions Initiative's 2014 Global Council and the subsequent Global Indigenous Initiative. Quote: "We talked about how sacred items are treated as 'art'. His people were part of the Nok civilization, which produced amazing terra cotta figures. Elisha said that when sacred images are recovered by the Nigerian government from foreign museums, they go into museums in Nigeria when they should go back to the people they came from, to take their proper, traditional place in religious ceremonies and sacred sites. Why does plundering a sacred site suddenly turn sacred images into 'art'? We talked about how the same ideas I mentioned above could be applied to create collaboration between national museums and local stewards of sacred artifacts." There's a lot more at the link, including a line-up of who's attending the indigenous initiative. Fascinating accounts from boots-on-the-ground interfaith work.
In Other Pagan Community News:
- Do you like arty esoteric experimental music? Consider chipping in a few bucks to help rebuild the recording studio of Lux Eterna Records. They are Hermetic Library approved! Here's the website of the label to find out more about the music they put out.
- In intersections between polyamory and modern Paganism news: Michelle Mueller (who has contributed guest articles to The Wild Hunt in the past) is trying to fund a full study that "will compare polyamory and polygamy of Independent Fundamentalist Mormons using ethnographic research methods and postcolonial feminist analysis." Meanwhile, "American Mystic" director Alex Mar attends and writes about a polyamory conference in Philly.
- At their personal blog Gavin Frost has announced that he and partner Yvonne will be making revisions to the controversial "Good Witche's Bible." Quote: "Another thing we've been busy with is the making of very minor modifications to Good Witch's Bible, to make a handful of self-appointed critics happier with it. Revised copies are now available through the School of Wicca at $ 25.00 each plus $3.95 S&H. Ironically, revisions to only two (2) pages were needed for an independent evaluator to say it was now okay. Of course, since it took forty (40) years for the recent criticism to surface, we expect that when cultural mores change again, we'll have to revise the book again. Hmm." You can read our recent coverage of this issue, here. We will be following up as we learn more.
- PaganSquare, a project of Witches & Pagans Magazine, has launched the Pagan News Beagle, which collects thematic news and links each week. Quote: "Exploring the wilds of our amazing, interconnected world, the Pagan News Beagle sniffs out and fetches stories for our communities of Pagans, Witches, Wiccans, Heathens, Polytheists, Gaians, and Goddess-worshippers. No story is too small or too large for the Beagle."
- A Bad Witch's Blog notes that Kindle editions of Doreen Valiente's "Charge of the Goddess" and "Where Witchcraft Lives" are now available via Amazon in the US and UK.
- Check out Ethan Doyle White's (who writes the must-read Albion Calling) academic review of Ronald Hutton's "Pagan Britain" and Marion Gibson's "Imagining the Pagan Past." I particularly look forward to reading Gibson's book.
That's all I have for now, have a great day!


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Enjoy a free sample of Vermont's fishing, State Parks and State Historic Sites during the annual Vermont Days weekend celebration on June 14-15. All Vermont State Park day areas, State Historic Sites, and the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier will be open at no charge all weekend. Saturday, June 14 is also free fishing day – the one day of the year when residents and non-residents may go fishing without a license in any Vermont State Park.
"Vermont Days is a great opportunity to explore Vermont's outstanding variety of recreation, culture and history," said Governor Peter Shumlin. "We have more than 50 state parks and nine historic sites all around our state, each offering their own unique and authentic Vermont experience."
Sponsored by the State of Vermont, Vermont Days also coincides with special events at several historic sites. On Saturday, June 14, visitors can take part in family-friendly Flag Day celebrations at Hubbardton Battlefield and the Bennington Battle Monument. Also on Saturday, visitors to the Justin Morrill Historic Site in Strafford can enjoy an Open House with music and refreshments.
For more information, visit www.vermontdays.com.
Source: Department of Tourism and Marketing June 03, 2014


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A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets. A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
1840 - 1910
Historical Period:
The 19th Century
William Graham Sumner (1840-1910) was one of the founding father's of American sociology. Although he trained as an Episcopalian clergyman, Sumner went on to teach at Yale University where he wrote his most influential works. His interests included money and tariff policy, critiques of socialism, social classes, and anti-imperialism.


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Trelleborg Wheel Systems announces a seven to ten percent price increase in Europe, effective June 1st, 2015.
The price rise, which includes tires for agricultural, forestry and light agricultural application, is driven by a macroeconomic pressure on the manufacturing footprint outside the European area. The strong appreciation of the USD against the Euro along with the procurement of raw material out of Asia lead to significant production cost increase.
Download the pdf file of the press release
"Trelleborg Wheel Systems announces price increase"


text:
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Wooden chess pieces abound in variety, style, shape, and wood type. The production of chess pieces in wood has grown tremendously in the last half-century enabling one to search out a set of chessmen ideally suited to one's taste.
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sting-er/ [ ˈstɪŋər] :
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Bred on the track. Made for the journey. The all-new Stinger strikes the perfect balance of power and refinement, featuring your choice of two turbocharged engines matched with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
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*Call 800-333-4KIA for details. Very limited quantities available in select markets. New 2018 Stinger 2.0L with rear wheel drive (#H5312) $32,800 MSRP. Stinger GT2 RWD shown $50,100 MSRP. MSRP includes taxes, title, license fees, options, and retailer charges. Actual prices may vary. Subject to dealer participation. 10,000 miles/year lease from Kia Motors Finance on approved credit. Must take delivery by 2/28/18.


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Navajo folk art is suppose to bring a smile to your face. This colorful horse ornament is hand made by Navajo artist Chandler Begaye.
3" tall x 3 1/2″ long x 5/8" wide
In recent years, wood figurines hand carved by self-taught Navajo artists have developed into Navajo Folk Art. These carvings of traditional personal images and indigenous animals are characteristic of the cultural integrity on the Navajo people. Strong cultural values provide for and sustain the artistic traditions of the Navajo.
Additional information
|.5 lbs
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There are a few important things to keep in mind when returning a product you purchased.You can return unwanted items by post within 7 working days of receipt of your goods.
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According to a recent report, Google Plus is now the second most popular social media platform, ahead of Twitter, but are governments using it to their advantage?
Google Plus recently passed Twitter to take the No. 2 spot for social media. Facebook is still No. 1, of course, but a new report released by Global Web Index shows Google Plus gaining ground. The report, which included approximately 90 percent of the world's Internet users, found that about 25 percent regularly use Google Plus, compared to 21 percent using Twitter and 51 percent regularly using Facebook. To some, the report of Google Plus' success came as a surprise. While Twitter and Facebook have become cultural phenomena, Google Plus gets comparatively little attention.
Government Technology has reported on various ways government organizations use Twitter over the past few years. For example, presidential candidates used Twitter to gain support for their candidacies, the micro-blogging platform is being used in 311 systems, and one company found a way to manage vehicle fleets using Twitter APIs. By comparison, Google Plus gets less attention, perhaps because many view Google Plus as a less popular alternative to Facebook. But with an estimated 343 million active users, there must be something Google Plus is providing that people aren't getting elsewhere.
The state of Utah, with a strong social media presence across multiple platforms, has seen Google Plus surge in popularity in the past few months. Chief Technology Officer David Fletcher said the state is keeping an eye on the platform to identify new opportunities for citizen engagement. The state's presence on Facebook continues to be strong -- much stronger than Google Plus, but Google Plus activity has spiked dramatically for the state in a short period of time. According to Fletcher, its following has gone from about 3,000 to more than 23,000 in just the past few months, and he anticipates that the growth will continue. (click on image below to view larger image)
In addition to rapid growth, users on Google Plus interact with government differently than they do on Facebook, Fletcher said. "What I've seen is a different nature of interaction and collaboration on Google Plus than I see on Facebook," Fletcher explained. "I'm seeing more interactivity with our Google Plus followers than I do with Facebook followers."
The differences between Google Plus and Facebook aren't limited to the way external audiences engage, he said. Rather there are considerable differences in the way they foster internal collaboration. Google has steadily added functionality to its application suite over the years, and recently, those improvements have become apparent on Google Plus. Because Utah uses Google Apps for Government, some of these changes have been very useful, Fletcher said. Features like Google Plus Circles are now more closely integrated with collaboration tools like Google Documents, he explained. Employees use the tools to easily share information with different workgroups or video chat while working on a spreadsheet. Since the applications are all integrated, they can be easily used for collaboration. This ease of use encourages engagement between users within the government, and outside of it.
Utah now uses Google Plus Hangouts to reach more people with its live announcements. Utah Speaker of the House Rebecca Lockhart opened the 2013 legislative session on Jan. 28 with a live update via Google Plus Hangouts, briefing citizens on what to expect in the coming year. (click on image below to view larger image)
The uptick of Google Plus users in Utah is not surprising, from the vantage point of Gartner Research Director Brian Blau. Google grows its services slowly and steadily, only releasing features when they are ready and useful to users, he said. Blau explained that by comparison, Facebook likes to make a big splash with a small stone. The recent unveiling of Facebook's Graph Search tool, for instance, was given a lot of attention and hype, but the tool is still undeveloped and few people actually have access to it, Blau said. "The thing that impresses me about Google and Google Plus is that Google Plus is integrally linked to a lot of other apps and services. Their features as they roll them out are a bit more mature, they work a little better. And these, I think, are some of the reasons why [some governments] are seeing an uptick."
Blau is unsure whether Google is attempting to compete directly with Facebook. "If their intention is to become a feature-rich social network like Facebook, they're not quite there yet," he said. Components such as a fully featured application programming interface for developers are among the tools that Google Plus lacks and Facebook users take for granted, he said. However, he predicts that Google Plus will likely continue to grow as more features and integration are added to Google Apps.
For government, there are few better ways to engage the public than with social media. "And it doesn't have to be that expensive," Blau said. "A lot of things in social [media] are free, it just takes time."
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We love LA
While 100,000-plus people were celebrating the Lakers' championship at the parade, there was a quieter salute taking place today at Fire Station 20, as we took Rafael Furcal over to visit the station that is responsible for Dodger Stadium. What a cool visit, with Raffy actually getting on a truck as they were heading off to a fire.
David Ely was there for MLB.com, so you should see a story up soon on dodgers.com, but it was a pretty cool experience for Raffy, who has been working to secure a fire truck for his hometown in the Dominican Republic.
He's hitting second again tonight as we take on the A's with free parking again (and a salute to firefighters at the stadium).
Pierre, LF
Furcal, SS
Hudson, 2B
Loney, 1B
Blake, 3B
Ethier, RF
Kemp, CF
Martin, C
Kuroda, P
No Comments
Joe Torre: Great job, Matt on hitting that clutch game winning single last night! I want to show my appreciation by having you hit 7th tonight!
Not only did he win the game he had hits and got on base 4 times. I'll be at the game tonight. Hopefully Joe and I get a chance to discuss his obvious hatred of Matt Kemp.
3 hits*
Good lineup in general, other than JP doesn't belong in leadoff anymore – in order for Torre to recognize that and do anything about it, I give anywhere from 6 months to never.
If you're going to play Martin, he's in the correct placement in the lineup. I'm looking forward to seeing Ellis get a chance to start a few games while Martin is struggling. Wouldn't it be a kick if Ellis went on a tear and gave Martin and Torre something to think about. Of, course, I give anywhere between 6 months and never for Torre to let that happen.
Got new-threaded again. Getting good at that.
Hey D4! Always good to read you!
"Maybe Brad should had caught him [Kershaw] instead of Martin.
By shad15 on June 16, 2009 7:49 PM"
"I made a mention of that before. Has Ausmus ever been given the chance to catch and call the game for Kersh?
By email@example.com on June 16, 2009 7:50 PM"
Wonder no more:
Ausmus caught Kershaw's game on 5/17 against the Marlins in Florida. 7IP, 1 ER, 4BBs, 9Ks. We won, 12-5. It's the only one that he's caught for the kid, at least as a starter. He's caught Billz 3 times, Wolf twice, McDonald, Stultz, Weaver and Milton once each. By the way, we're 7 – 3 in Ausmus' starts, pretty close to our current .662 winning %. At least as close as you can get in 10 games.
There can be only one good reason for Torre to continue hitting our best all-around hitter in the bottom half of the lineup: he must think that his psyche can't handle the pressure at the top. At least that's all I can think of. Several people here keep telling me that Torre isn't the idiot I keep claiming him to be.
Was it only a few short weeks ago when JP was hitting .400 driving in and scoring runs in bunches that people wondered what to do with him when Manny returned from his PED induced vacation? It seems Mr. Pierre has taken care of that little dilema by coming back to his normal self. So Bear, in a short while you won't have to worry about where JP bats in the lineup because he won't be in the lineup.
[in a short while you won't have to worry about where JP bats in the lineup because he won't be in the lineup. ]
That's good news 'cos the doc told me the JP drinking game I've been playing for the last month nearly turned my liver into granite.
An A+ assessment Bear!!!
I'm trying to come up with something positive to say about Pierre leading off. I give anywhere between 6 months and never.
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! very funny stuff boys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
enchanted – at least you were nice to him when he was doing well, which is still better than I managed.
Glad to see the Angels sweep the Gnats, but like many of you, let's hope the Angels left their bats in the bay for the weekend.
I remember JP hitting close to 400, and I remember Casey batting 8th, when he was hitting better than Martin, Raffy (the fireman) and Dre (the mailman), so it is team effort supported by each player and the Manager, and we dont have 6 months left to figure that out!
The Giants got swept at home by the Angels, Thank you
So Go Dodgers!
hey everyone 🙂
the LA streets were insane today with lakers and all.. but now that all that's over, everyone can focus on our boys in blue!!
i guess joe has a feeling that he'll need kemp's clutch hitting later in the order.. he was batting 6th yesterday.. 7th today.. if he goes 4-4 with a homer he'll see himself batting 8th tomorrow.. lame =P
GO DODGERS…………BEAT THE A's!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great seeing you again Obi! You too, Dodgereric!!
Maybe Joe should use the lineup rules from Dodger Fantasy Camp. Whoever is on deck when the last out of the game is made during that team's final at bat leads off the next game.
I should have added that the batting order continues so if the batter who made the last out is batting sixth, the seventh hitter would lead off the next game. Once the order is set for the first game, it never changes.
I find it a little strange that Joe keeps steadfast in his 1-2-3 hitters but creates havoc with the remaining batters. I'd like to see Juan have a few days off for some much needed rest. Actually, I think Joe selects his lineup like pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.
When the guys want to play pin the tail on the donkey, Joe and Ned run for cover.
LMAO, Enchanted!!!
I always wanted to posted this.
The top five:
1. Phil Jackson (NBA): Slideshow
2. Greg Popovich (NBA): Slideshow
3. Joe Torre (MLB): Slideshow
4. Bill Belichick (NFL): Slideshow
5t. Terry Francona (MLB): Slideshow
5t. Tony LaRussa (MLB): Slideshow
5t. Cito Gaston (MLB): Slideshow
SARA – Yup now the attention will be on the Dodgers. And soon the attention will be all on Manny…LET'S GOOOOO DODGERS!
I think the last time I played pin the tail on the donkey I got slapped in the face for where I tried to pin the tail.
You have Phil who won championships in Chicago and LA. You have LaRussa who won it with the Oakland and Cardinals and now Torre could make more history if the Dodgers win the WS this year and the last time the Lakers and Dodgers won together were in 1988.
Oh my god Martin batting 8th again.
You're wife lbirkin?
lbirken ~ come to think of it, so did I! LMAO!!!!
LOL Birk!
Nowadays they probably pin the tail on the donkey with velcro or stickers. Back in our day we used thumbtacks.
Ahhh the good old days.
Student Denied Diploma After Blowing Kiss
I can't believe this and this might be the first time this had ever happen.
Please, it was a long time ago in a land far, far away, most likely in a dream. In fact, I might have made up the whole thing, who knows?
lol Ellis won't stay up for long when Manny comes back I surely hope not.
By the way, did anyone ever actually pin the tail to the donkey?
Both of Justin Denney's grandparents are ill and one of their wishes was to see their grandson graduate from high school, Mary Denney said.
Mary Denney said she is planning a graduation party for her son in two weeks, which, by then, she said she hopes she will have a photograph of her son with his diploma.
Enchanted ~ you are probably right about the velcro. Kids don't have any fun nowadays. No Dodgeball (too vioent) no running (kids might get too hot) Nelly says her parents get upset if their child has to run. Heaven forbid they should break a sweat!
This was just part of the story that alot from that link I just provided.
Top Skippers
Joe Torre tied Sparky Anderson for the most wins by an MLB manager. All the retired skippers on the list are in the Hall of Fame.
Manager Record Years
Connie Mack 3731-3948 1894-1950
John McGraw 2763-1948 1899-1932
Tony LaRussa 2496-2176 1979-2009
Bobby Cox 2357-1886 1978-2009
Sparky Anderson 2194-1834 1970-1995
Joe Torre 2194-1870 1977-2009
Poor Connie all those wins and still not a winning record
I always wanted to posted this.
By shad15 on June 17, 2009 5:46 PM
Report any abuse or spam
The top five:
1. Phil Jackson (NBA): Slideshow
2. Greg Popovich (NBA): Slideshow
3. Joe Torre (MLB): Slideshow
4. Bill Belichick (NFL): Slideshow
5t. Terry Francona (MLB): Slideshow
5t. Tony LaRussa (MLB): Slideshow
5t. Cito Gaston (MLB): Slideshow
This list is TOTALLY BOGUS!
How can Red Auerbach miss the top five?
Opinions are like A-holes. EVERYBODY'S got one.
Yahoo may have pretty good sports coverage in general, but the nimrods who come up with these 'magic lists' haven't lived long enough, or done enough research beyond their years. It's even worse with their music critics! If you're not a Generation X'er or later, you simply don't count. Talk about discrimination!!!
Good evening everyone….
Let's go Juan, let's go (clap clap clap)
Let's go Juan, let's go (clap clap clap)
I'm letting my positive side out.
Let Juan go, let him go.
Let Juan go, let him go.
Pierre sucks.
HI YA Everybody
Just getting into the game,
Had a hectic day today.
LET'S GO YA BUMS, Keep up the good work.
I don't know vl4 and I was shocked that he wasn't on the listed. The only thing I can guess is that Auerbach is not alive no more lol.
Wow the first 2 guys make out and then 9 straight balls.
Oh man this guy is wild.
When is this team ever going to start to hit? That was pathetic.
Oh no you didn't Ethier? Should had made him thrown another strike with that 3-1
Looked like Ethier swung at an inside pitch.
LOL. You were positive for a moment, Enchanted! A three pitch out for Juan……unacceptable!
come to think of it, your leadoff hitter is supposed to take pitches to see what the guy has to offer!
Unfortunately Tru, its our leadoff hitter that has nothing to offer.
Thank-you Kuroda! Good inning. Now let's get you some runs!
Quick half inning 🙂
Why doesn't Joe see that, Enchanted? Does he even watch the game?
Now let's hope this kid doesn't settled down now.
No one wants to admit it, but I think Joe has mastered sleeping at the rail with his eyes open.
I remember when Grienke used to have an ERA under 1 and now is 1.96 so funny to see how Meche is there 2nd best starting pitchers and he had pitch a shutout last night and Grienke gets rough up again.
Martin on the otherhand has mastered the groundout to third.
Maybe the hot Kemp should swap spot with Ethier.
At least Russell put the bat on the ball!
Bad Martin it his *** down.
Russ' funk continues!!
At least bunt to 3rd and advance the runner
Kemp steal another base
Russell finds all the wrong places to hit it to.
Nice hustle Matt
Damn runners on 3rd with 1 out and we can't scored.
So sad. Martin is now batting under a buck for June.
Nice going Slappy.
I means sit not sat maybe I should type a little bit slower next time.
Another aggressive but stupid running decision by Kemp.
I like taking certain chances but trying to score on that comeback hit to the pitcher was not too bright.
Let's face it 32, Kemp probably knew Slappy had about as much chance of driving him in as a snowball in hell.
Matt feels like he has to do it all on his own – what with two pitchers spots following him.
It's early but nothings going our way.
Swap Martin and Kuroda spot. I would know for a fact another grounded to 3rd with had scored Kemp.
Actually three pitchers spots following Matt if you count Pierre.
They're lighting Kuroda up. I think he should have had some more time with rehab starts in the minors. He's leaving balls up, and getting hammered…..
Going to be a long night.
Jack Cust is what started Piazza to retirement.
Well I'm done.
Night all.
Wow who was the last brothers on the same to hit 2 homerun in a game? I see the Pirates done it tonight.
Come back here, enchanted. You can't just give up this early. JP's going to come alive in this game and show us his dazzling speed, and then Blake and Ethier are going to hammer the A's good.
should be the same team
Have to get started now because some of these pitchers get better as they go along, especially with a lead.
I think the last time he did that we came from behind and won maybe we're do the same thing again lol.
Enchanted ~ you can't bail on us! Where are we going to get our inspiration? COME BACK HERE, ENCHANTED!!!!!!
lol @ Penny his last 2 games pitching thrown 11 innings allowing 9 hits 1 runs but none earned. He never pitch well against his former team the Marlins but he did shutdown the Yankees in his other start.
Well Congratulations Penny on 100 career wins and now to the hell with you lol.
Theodore Cleaver!!! You come back here right now!!! JP just got a double :)))))
This suck we had the chance to know Cahill out of this game and where was that hit Pierre last time you was up?
An error is as good as a hit.
ODAWG cashes it in.
Beav – JP even scored a run for you so you will stay. He knows you aren't really sore at him, and he will try to do better. Meanwhile……………….June Darlin' is LHAO because she can't type that with a straight face.
I'll be you can't type that with a straight face, June Darlin'! LMAO!!
Ouch and Cust is not even a bunter take notes Loney.
So it hurts me to say this because he is my favorite player, but Russ is this years andruw jones, he cant even make a productive out, all u can hope for when he's up with runners on is a strikout so he doesnt hit into a double play, start Ausmus, I was at all all 3 games in texas and Ausmus did great on sunday. I want Russ to figure it out but how long can we wait? GO DODGERS!!
Typical fashion, we give the run right back. At least the gnats lost already today
Come on Dodgers…..Let's get some runs this inning.
Nice double Andre!
Kemp should hit a dinger now before they change the pitcher.
Nice going MATTY
Hello, Dodgereric, Bluesplash and Dodger4life! You all yell for Enchanted to come back!!!! He is going to miss all the fun of our rally and come from behind win!
It's time for Martin to pick up the slack.
And, hello to you too, oldbrooklynfan!
At least Russ didnt make an out, let's at least get 1 more run this inning guys! GO DODGERS!!
We had a good chance against Cahill.
Loretta is a right-handed Sweeney, and Joe just insists on using him in critical situations – just like last year; same results.
How are you tonight, Oldbrooklynfan? Don't you wonder why Joe didn't use Mitch Jones in that situation, instead of Loretta?
Hello there Trublue4ever
Was that not absolutely stupid on Pierre's part with two outs?
Was that sweeney up there?
I guess he figured Loretta was long over due.
Loretta is 0 for 13 in his last 15 PH appearances. Two walks, one was intentional.
Tru, you think if I told Juanpy I wanted to have his baby that it would make enchanted jealous and he'd come back?
Hi True…….Enchanted you need to bring the bottle of Tequila back, I 'm a needing a shot. LOL!!!!
Ward Dear………………..is that you?
Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who.
One day, lad, all this will be yours.
What, the curtains?
Now is the time.
What… is the capital of Assyria?
As Frank Barone of Everybody Loves Raymond would say, "Holy Crap!" what lousy defense by the A's!!!!!
Are they trying to give us the game or is there some kind of a thing you got there at Dodger Stadium.
'Tis but a scratch!
A scratch? Your arm's off!
No, it isn't!
Well, what's that then?
I've had worse.
You liar!
Come on, you pansy!
Okay – where is Beav? As a matter of fact, where is Wally too?
Don't like her? What's wrong with her? She's beautiful, she's rich, she's got huge… tracts of land.
I think Andre stubbed the sore toe trying to break up that double play. He grimaced when he was getting up. Hope he's ok. This team just never seems to die, which is a great sign.
I think having Juanpy's baby would Shirley bring Enchanted back, Dodgereric!!!!!!!!
If she weighed the same as a duck… she's made of wood.
bluecrewgirl – I think he did too.
Monty Python?
We're always in the game.
……… and the Holy Grail! Correct-a-mundo!
Greetings from the stadium!
Dodgereric – I was saying the quotes as Mariya was walking through the room, and she said…………………."that's Monty Python, isn't it?"
My purpose is two-fold. 1) Lure enchanted and/or jhall out to play and 2) start some good luck ala the Hollywood Squares comeback night a little while ago that kahli and I did. Our boys aren't back yet but we're back in the game!
He's come to rescue me, father!
Well, let's not jump to conclusions.
Did you kill all those guards?
Um… oh, yes! Sorry.
They cost fifty pounds each!
Well, the thing is, I thought your son was a lady.
Well, I can understand that.
Or 3) Dodgereric, confuse the heck out of the rest of us!!! LOL
Don't stop beieving streetlight people living just to find emotion…
it good to have a good "Motor" in the Pen.
They will show up just like they always do…………………… right when they are needed most.
That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!
You ***! I soiled my armor I was so scared!
Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide! It's a killer!
Get stuffed!
He'll do you up a treat, mate.
Oh, yeah?
You manky Scots git!
I'm warning you!
What's he do? Nibble your bum?
Way to kill an inning, juanpy!
That 2nd pitch double play rally killer JP ought to bring out the Bad Beav and the Wicked Wally!!!!
Loved that ODAWG play.
What happened to all that plate discipline that Torre and Mattingly have been preaching? Work the count guys!
Get a pitch you can handle.
Wow… finally a good throw by Martin.
Could there be two more different defensive teams than we're watching tonight?
Bottom of the ninth
Down by one
Well, we'll not risk another frontal assault. That rabbit's dynamite.
Who are you who can summon fire without flint or tinder?
There are some who call me… Tim.
I wonder how many balls that would have been hits if Kent was playing 2B have been turned into outs by Hudson?
eh Martin
How do you do, good lady? I am Arthur, King of the Britons. Whose castle is that?
King of the who?
King of the Britons.
Who are the Britons?
Well, we all are. We are all Britons. And I am your king.
I didn't know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective.
You're foolin' yourself! We're living in a dictatorship. A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working class…
Oh, there you go bringing class into it again.
We are the Knights who say… NI.
Furcal beat that.
Well, I think we are finding out more and more that we can never say we are out of a game.
I'll be seeing you.
Good Night OldBrooklynfan!!!!!!!
We will get them tomorrow.
I was hoping Andre would get to bat in the 9th. He came up one short. Oh well, tomorrow's another day.
Goodnight Brooklyn!
3 for 12 w/risp tonight. Loney left 5 tonight. If not for the 2nd grade defense of the As, we're shut out again. Well, almost. We scored 1 earned run.
Dodgers manager Joe Torre spoke with suspended outfielder Manny Ramirez on Wednesday about starting a rehab assignment next week, but nothing was finalized.
Torre said Ramirez missed another workout because of a cold or flu.
"He's still bothered by a sore throat," said Torre. "We talked about sometime early next week, he'll play some games. I think in San Bernardino. We're thinking about the convenience of the thing. We're still communicating. Nothing is scheduled. We have to get him back on the field. We hope he can work out tomorrow."
Another car went into our Creek…………………..this time into the water. Two cars and a motorcycle in a month. People will never learn.
I got it. I got it…
I ain't got it!
I'll get it.
I got it…
I ain't got it.
(Loud thud)
I got it…
I ain't got it.
(Loud thud)
Very interesting Eric!!!
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!! 32and53 :))))))
2009 Totals 186 AB, 62 H, .333
Last 28 days 102 AB, 28 H, .275
Last 14 days 43 AB, 9 H, .209
Last 7 days 17 AB, 3 H, .176
Juan for 5 tonight
Give the little feller a break
You can usually buy used golf balls from kids who hang around courses…….
Have you thought of a used car lot in the neighborhood?
I would love to give him a break alright, but it's not the break you are talking about.
Well we will get em tomorrow…….Good Night and God Bless all.
Pierre's batting = my 101K = lead balloons
Good night D4, and may God Bless you too!
Good Night Dodger4life – Take Care and God Bless!!!!!!
I honestly thought enchanted would be back tonight…..However…… I will now say Good Night Enchanted 🙂
Okay Ward Dear…………………….What are the boys up to now? Beav disappeared an hour ago and Wally didn't show up at all.
Well now, that was interesting. I read your 'goodnight' to D4 @ 10:34, scrolled up to see his post @ 10:32, typed my 'goodnight' post, hit submit, and it came out on top of your 10:34. How ……… nevermind.
Good Night Eric and Nelly and the rest of ITD……Always a pleasure….:-)
…………………and the state budget all going down the tubes.
Beav probably ran into Wally and Eddie when he stormed out and they're all over at Lumpy's looking at his dad's National Geographics.
Well, mine says we submitted at the same time 10:34.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! You are probably right :)))
Are we going to have one of those time warp episodes because your Wally and Beav comment was not there when I submitted my 10:40 post.
(Crickets chirping)
Yes, as I was saying,
it came to my attention that…
…just before Dr. Little's untimely firing…
…he was planning to make some
very big changes here at the Stadium.
Do any of you know specifically
what those changes might be?
Well, for one thing he wanted to change…
The drapes.
The drapes?
The drapes.
He wanted to change the drapes
in the psychotic game room.
That was the extent of the big change?
The drapes?
Yes, Dr. Little felt that color…
…has a lot to do with the well-being
of the emotionally disturbed.
To some extent that is true, I imagine.
I heard the funniest thing on KNBR (bay area sports radio)today on my way home from Michael's game. A caller called in and wished he had Ned Colletti back. That all their problems began when he left. Funny……………..many of our problems began when he showed up.
LMAO!!!! 32and53 – you have been drinking enchanted's Koolaid, haven't you? It's okay……………many of us have 🙂 You are certainly on a roll tonight.
We need to change the drapes. 🙂
Yes we do 🙂
I am not sure what I am supposed to be watching on the link.
Not sure if I did my math correctly, but I believe in the 37 post-Manny-suspension games the Dodgers have gained two games on the Gnats in the standings. Golly gee, I don't believe there'll be a Pierre controversy anymore starting July 3. Sometimes Joe makes me scratch my head. For all the mind games and bench warming Ethier and Kemp had to withstand, how come Russell Martin gets a free pass game after game?
Nellyjune, that was my lame way of signing off.
32and53 – now that I know I was looking at the right thing………………it was kind of cool. Good Night and Take Care.
Kahli – I am not sure what Torre thinks when he thinks about Russell. However, up until this last month or so, I thought Russell was kind of off limits as a "problem" topic. I am glad to know that all players are being held accountable for the play they take to the field everyday here on ITD. I just wish Torre would think the same way sometimes.
I know everyone gone I wanted to wake up as a win for us but I see Mota pitch another scoreless inning again don't really care about the 1 walk.
Look at Kemp catcher ERA that probably explain it out.
oops I mean Martin catcher ERA and that probably explain it all.
Time to dropped the J. Martin and bring back the R. Martin in the name of his jersey.
The good thing about the J. Martin he's defense is way better than the R. Martin to bad he's hitting bite.
The good thing about the J. Martin his defense is way better than the R. Martin to bad he's hitting bite.
Maybe I should've stay in bed a little bit longer until the 7 ir 8 am in the morning.
Maybe I should've stay in bed a little bit longer until 7 or 8 am in the morning.
The Athletics won to end a four-game losing streak. It was their second win in their last eight. For the Dodgers, they are now 3-11 in their last 14 meetings vs. Oakland.
• Rajai Davis hit his first home run since Sept. 5 of last season. Trevor Cahill (5.1 IP, 0 ER) now has a 2.65 ERA over his last six starts after posting a 5.01 ERA in his first eight starts.
• Andre Ethier (2-for-4, two RBIs) drove in two after entering the game 2-for-18 over his previous five games. Russ Martin (0-for-3) is batting .093 (4-for-43) over his last 12 games.
If that is not a good reason to bench him I don't know what is.
LMAO – you guys crack me up. I was so tired last night that after I signed off I watched about 20 minutes of TV, then fell asleep.
Now let me tell you what else I'm tired of:
I'm tired of the team not beiing able to pound mediocre pitching.
I'm tire of JP's worthless rearend leading off every single game.
I'm tired of Russs Martin being Andruw Jones.
I'm tired of JoJo The Clown using Loretta every freaking critical pinch hit AB.
I'm tired of JoJo jerking Kemp up and down the order when he's the hottest hitter.
And I'm really tired of the team not bothering to start playing the game until the 7th inning.
Gosh I think I meant 1 hit for Mota not 1 walk.
Ouch I bet that took alot of ball to say Martin being like Jones lol.
Ok look what I just dug up a game last year when Kemp threw out Blake as a member of the Indians. This was the good Martin batting .310 after that game and sorry to say Pierre leading off and Kemp in the 2nd hold and Loney protection Kent in the clean up spot but too bad for LaRoche.
I know Kent was an ******* I'd rather take Kent back over Pierre.
Good Morning Enchanted!!!! I see you got a good night's sleep, and you are back to your old self again. All of your points are very accurate indeed.
Good Morning everybody ~ I too am glad you got a good nighy's sleep Enchanted. Please take a nap this afternoon so we can have the pleasure of your company tonight! Juanpy and crew need you to cheer them on! LOL
red pen *night's
red pen *nights (I think I needed more sleep)
hahahaha I did the same thing I think about to go back to bed.
Shad ~ it looks like you have been up all night!!!! You certainly have been busy! lol
Good Morning ITD, Dodger Faithful
Shad , Enchanted, Nelly and Jane. It's good to see you all so early in the morning.
Good to see you too, Dodger4life.
I went to bed at 9 pm and this is way too early for me and than woke up around 1:30 am to check out the scored. I went to back to bed at around 3 at around 6:45 and never went back to bed since than and I about to hit the bed again since I have big headache.
GM Dodger4life I'm just about to go hit that hay.
I went to bed at 9 pm and this is way too early for me and than woke up around 1:30 am to check out the scored. I went to back to bed at around 3 got up at 6:45 and never went back to bed since than and I about to hit the bed again since I have big headache.
Why is it that we cannot get a half way realiable pinch-hitter on the Dodgers. Last year we opted for Sweeney and never backed off regardless of how low his avg. went. This year Loretta started out OK, but he's clearly unable to produce. We're sticking with these guys like there is no other option available, and they are costing us games. If it was a pitcher or another position player that was not making the grade, we'd surely cut them, option them, or do something to change the scenario, but with Joe that just never happens when it comes to his designated pinch-hitter. That's one reason some of us called Joe and IDIOT, even if he's going to be a Hall of Fame IDIOT.
Ouch and to think we had the #1 PH batting average in the league at one time. How in the hell can we still be in the top 2? Damn the Rockies are killing it with a .296.
Good Night Shad, I'm going to hit the showers….
NEWARK, N.J. – A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman has confirmed that a Continental Airlines pilot has died in mid-flight.
Spokeswoman Arlene Salac says the airline alerted the FAA around 10:30 Thursday morning that Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark was being flown by two co-pilots.
Salac says the plane, a Boeing 777, will receive priority handling when it lands around noon.
Ouch lucky their was another pilot and GN talk to you later
Ouch lucky their was another pilot and GN talk to you later
Urgh stupid computer lagging and now I can go to bed lol
I was at the game last night and noticed 3 things…Juan sucks, Russ sucks and Matt Kemp is the best player on our team. He strikes out still but he doesn't look bat doing it anymore. He's going to be special.
Hello everyone, what a brutal game to watch last night. We missed several opportunities to win it, but when you are 20 games over .500, life is good. Andre disappointed me in the first inning swinging at the 3-1 pitch. I would have made him throw 2 more strikes in a row, he was struggling.
I have to agree with everyone on the #9 discussion, he needs to sit down. The attempted bunt in the 6th or 7th with the tying run on 3rd and 2 out was pathetic…he had a nice 3 week run…now sit him Joe for a couple of games.
chris iannetta of the rockies is batting .228.. BUT he's only played in 38 games and has 9 homers.. NINE
somehow raffy has a 9 game hitting streak going..
Russell Martin has been worse then Juan Pierre for an entire year now…read the new MSTI post. It is brutal. I think we've seen the best of Russel Martin. Too bad we dont have Carlos Santana too look forward too…Thanks again Ned!
oh, and i know we don't attribute all the power to coors field anymore.. but if anyone wants to use that as an argument against iannetta's power, then i guess i'll throw in that only 3 of those 9 homers are at coors
Ramslover – I didn't see it, but I heard about Andre's pop up with a 3-1 count, but I am sure no one is more upset about that pop up than Andre himself. I don't think he will be making that mistake again anytime soon.
Sara – like every year……………I don't think we can ever rule out the Rockies wherever they happen to be in the standings. Their tear in 2007 is what makes me think no lead is a safe lead in terms of where a team is in the standings. That is amazing about Ianetta!!
aeversw, i'm not giving up on russell yet..
dnelly, the rockies are a good enough team that they can roll off a few BIG winning streaks.. we should never feel safe.. this is baseball.. and we're due to slump for a bit.. hopefully our slump is minimal.. or the current slight slump is the worst of it.. hopefully..
aeversw – that was a great entry on MSTI. Should be required reading. Very interesting what the scout had to say about Russ also.
So as I read it and the fan reactions, the possible causes of his slump are:
(A) Coming off roids
(B) Girfriend
(C) Prematurely old
(D) Undisclosed injury
(E) Other
(F) All of the above
(G) None of the above.
Sara – this would be great if this is our slump and we are winning in spite of it. That will make July, August and September even better, pulling us into October of course :))
dnelly, that would be the hope/wishful thinking 🙂
enchanted, i would vote for H) it remains to be seen


text:
i had a bit of a cold last week and my hubs was sick too with the flu. we were supposed to go over to josephine's house for dinner but cancelled because we didn't want to bring the plague to her house. so the crazy thing here is that josephine insisted she still bring me dinner. i'm all no, no. ok, yes!
so we sat down to eat this tomato soup with homemade bread (duh), and i was like...my mind is blown. this is the best tomato soup i've ever had in my life.
and nato loved it. yes.... my husband loved soup. miracle.
and we felt FULL. full after eating tomato soup. never happened to me before. second miracle in one sitting.
and so i told josephine that we loved it. and she was like, i love cooking. it was such a pleasure to do this for you!
what? cooking is fun for people? not me.
but that's when it hit me. josephine must be my recipe contributor. you guys can deal with my casseroles only so much, if we're honest with each other. and i'm more of a baker, anyway.
so please meet my friend, josephine. genius, practiced, real life mom-cook. and the new recipe contributor on this very blog. because she doesn't have a blog. rude. so rude.
and meet the best creamy tomato soup that will make your heart skip a beat from sheer goodness.
Creamy Tomato Soup
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled or diced tomatoes, organic preferably, like Muir Glen
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery, diced
4 small carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups chicken stock
2 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon of white sugar
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup heavy cream
¾ cup 2% milk
salt and pepper
if you like heat, just a dash of cayenne powder
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrot, onions, garlic and the dried basil and some salt and pepper. simmer the aromatics until softened and caramelized, about 10 minutes.
jami says: aromatics? ok, what are those? whatever. i'm going to google that. look who's learning so much!
Add the tomatoes (with the juice) and sugar.
josephine says: if you can find canned fired-roasted canned tomatoes, please use those in this recipe. Muir Glenn has fantastic fire-roasted tomatoes. it adds a smoky flavor to this rich and creamy soup. and a little bit sugar helps cut down the acidity of the tomatoes.
then add chicken stock, bay leaves and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. add the cream and milk. you can add ¼ cup chopped fresh basil at this point, if using.
fresh basil isn't always available. or, it is just too pricy. so, Jo recommends two steps to make the best use of dried basil. add the dried basil from the get-go when all the veggies are being sautéed. before adding it in, give it a good rub. this step helps release the oil of the dried herb. also, cooking it along with the veggies helps toast the dried herbs, which definitely helps the flavor. however, if you like fresh basil and don't mind paying for it, please feel free to add and blend it in at the end.
then fish our the bay leaves and then blend the veggies with an immersion blender. this is the immersion blender i have and i love it!
you'll need to taste this at the end to see if it needs more salt.
josephine says: In my experience, homemade chicken stock is a key ingredient to this soup. It adds lots richness and depth to the soup. You will see I use it in all the recipes that call for chicken stock. I'm definitely a homemade chicken stock snob.
jami says: you make your own stock? oh man. i enjoy the carton so much. it's so easy. baby steps...baby steps...
jo says: But it is so easy to make! I will post later on how to make homemade chicken stock. It really is easy breezy.
ok...we'll just have to post that some other time. and we will! i'm hoping that you'll see a post from josephine each week. get excited for your kitchens to explode with joy.
and enjoy your soup.
perhaps with a grilled cheese, sayeth the Lord. perfection on a cold day.


text:
Looking for a way to update your band shirts wardrobe? There are so many styles, sizes and artists to choose from it can be difficult to know where to begin. We've decided to go above and beyond to provide you with a buying guide to help get your started on the path of awesome t-shirt ownership.
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Let's start our rap t-shirt collection with an essential WU-TANG shirt. A hugely influential hip hop group that formed in the 1990s, many people consider these guys the best rap group ever.
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We added a pair of black leggings, a black motorcycle jacket, and a cool studded belt to this Rolling Stones shirt to show how easy it is to make your favorite band shirt a part of a chic, stylish outfit.
Still can't quite decide which shirt is right for you? If comfort is your number one consideration then you are in the right place. All of the shirts that we've featured here in our buying and style guide have been conveniently ranked so that you can see which shirts are the softest. And yeah, our meter goes to 11.


text:
Lord Patel has been off-line for a couple of weeks now and hasn't replied to my last couple of emails
Lord P's blog was, is something special and during the unfortunately limited number of times when I've met or conversed with the Lord P in person the sheer decency of the man shone through. His blog is one of the handful of regularly updated sites that I have been able to recommended to people without any reservations whatsoever
And the fact that his blog is never included on any dross-filled list of 'Top 100 UK blogs' pushed by the corporate mainstream; even though I know full well that plenty of the bloggers on those lists read his blog, speaks volumes.
Airing the possibility of false flag terror attacks can really limit the social acceptability of your blog.
If mainstream recognition as a True Citizen Journalist is what you crave it's always best to stick to endless, pointless, ding-dong political tribalism and pronouncements about economic matters which are subsequently proven to be flat wrong.
Just like proper journalists in fact
A selection of the Guardian-annointed 'New Commentariat' - aka not one but seven spare pricks at a wedding
Fortunately for his readership, any cravings for mainstream recognition on Lord Patel's part have been more than outweighed by his intellect and conscience
Unfortunately, Lord Patel hasn't been at all well recently
I fear Bad Things
and I'm currently not best-placed/ set up to do the legwork necessary to allay my fears
If any passers-by know otherwise please, please drop me a line or leave a comment here, thanks


text:
AU Shippin' Out November 27-30: Super Mario Galaxy
The week many Wii owners have been waiting for is finally here!
The week many Wii owners have been waiting for is finally here!
Platform exclusivity runs rampant as headliners join Unreal Tournament III, Ghost Squad, Time Crisis 4, Mario Party DS, FFXII: Revenant Wings, Trauma Center: New Blood.
TimeShift finally comes out.
The Orange Box take two.
THQ packs the muscle, both real and virtual, at its Comic-Con 2007 booth.
We track down the four elements in our look at this martial arts adventure game based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series.
More SpongeBob, more Avatar, and another Nicktoons crossover lead the way for publisher's slate of games based on kids' cable network.
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